Hopped with German and Czech hops and fermented with Bavarian lager yeast, this traditional doppelbock blends an extensive amount of select dark malts to achieve its rich and creamy character. Rich and filling, this brew is a malt lovers dream.

Reviews by numenor1:

Pours almost opaque brown, with some light coming through at the edges showing a chestnut, red tinged hue. Large khaki leaving terrific lacing. Nose is deeply malty and a bit smoky with some obvious roast. This tastes much much more stoutlike than i remember it, almost more akin to a stout than a doppel? Starts with a stab of dark molasses drenched fruits then this shifts as roasted malt takes over. Apparent fruit esters. Smoke underlays this along with some mild earthy hops all leading to a deep roasty finish. Body is very thick, overly so for the style and much thicker than i remember. Drinkability is good...but where has my doppelbock gone? Did they even use a lager yeast?!

This is a stout in everything but name and a good one at that. I had 2005 edition last year and it was a glorious doppelbock. What happened?!

Unfortunately I'm scoring this way down due to it being a stout. (940 characters)

More User Reviews:

Poured a deep mahogany with sticky 1/2 finger off white head atop,aromas of dark fruit and molasses,a little alcohol is present as well,just very rich and inviting.Flavors start off with the dark fruit notes dipped in alcohol,deep molasses flavors really take over but never get to sweet,the alcohol is always there but never to much so.I finally got to try this beer and I was not dissapointed,worthy of high marks. (416 characters)

Appearance  This poured a beautiful dark brown in color indicating the massive malt content. The head came up nicely as well. It was heavily browned and showed good retention.

Smell  The big, juicy malts have a nice molasses undertone. The raw sugars are big at the nose and actually made my mouth start to water. I should emphasize that with all this sweetness it managed not to be overly sweet. The solid malt base could handle a dump truck full of sugar.

Taste  The malts are milder at the taste, but this is still a big beer. Theres a nice barleyness to the flavor and it seems to be more balanced. The overall flavor profile is rough around the edges, just like I prefer my DBs.

Mouthfeel  This is a heavy medium-bodied with some light malty bitterness and a very smooth feel in between the cheeks.

Drinkability  This may be too raw for the uninitiated, but the true DB lovers will find this an excellent example of the style.

Update  I want to extend a huge round of applause for BeerGuy for bringing this all the way out here to Seattle. He is a real stand up guy, and this BA gift was greatly appreciated. (1,142 characters)

mmm So smooth and so drinkable. Luscious and full bodied with a smokiness that goes pow in your face but then rescinds to the background as one gets used to it. Dark malts and dark fruits, toast and butter, coffee, nuts, and chocolate. Perfectly balanced. I dont know what more to say about this beer other then that it is nearly perfect. I love it. Many thanks to scthaden for the trade. (396 characters)

Delicious, solid as a rock, amazing combination of dark fruits and chewy goodness. Just a bit too much carbonation for my liking, I prefer a less-effervescent dopplebock. Regardless, it's always a treat when it's on tap at the Hooker Brewery on their Friday brew sessions. (274 characters)

Deep dark brown almost black pour with a bubbly khaki head on top. Looks like a nice doppelbock to me. A big roasty dark maltiness upfront with some nutty character and a nice sweetness. Some alcohol esters as well. I like it.

First sip has a huge tasty roasty, caramel chocolate malt with hints of roasted nuts and a nice mellow sweetness. There seems to be a hint of dark fruit as well...really robust and bursting full of great malt flavors. Just a damn fine doppel....awesome.

A nice full mouthfeel that is creamy and smooth. Goes down so easy and is wonderfully drinkable. Easily the best doppelbock I've ever sampled. Many many many thanks to kmpitz2 for sharing this great bottle with me! (701 characters)

Nearly opaque, dark brew. Crimson highlights show through. Four finger tan head formed ont eh pour in my impy pint glass. Dense foam cap stayed around 'til the bottom. Lacing formed in a nice sheet but couldn't hang on as it slid down the glass.

Taste is toasted malts and lots of it, definately the backbone of this hefty brew. A bit of bittersweet chocolate comes in midway through. Finish has a bit of coffee. Some earthy, pine hops fight their way through as well. A touch of alcohol is noticable in the exhale after a sip.

Mouthfeel is just as it should be. Basically full bodied. Coats the mouthwell and the flavor lingers. A bit of prickly carbonation, but not overdone. Probably perfect for the style, imo.

Drinkability his awesome. Near creamy mouthfeel with a complex toasted flavor. Dangerously drinkable, a must try. (959 characters)

A 500ml swing top bottle. The tape on the top said bottled in 2006. It sat in my cellar for a couple weeks, and was poured into a pilsener glass...Very dark brown, almost black, with red highlights. It had a medium tan head, with a little lacing. Aroma was mostly roasted malt and caramel, with a hint of fruit. Coffee/espresso taste, as well as dark chocolate, and some the aforementioned fruit. Very rich, big mouthful. Wonderful, wonderful beer. (448 characters)

Pours dark black with a frothy brown head that stays with the beer. Smells of chocolate with a slight hint of apple. The beer also has a chocolate / coffee taste. The beer is more bitter than most german dopplebocks I've had but has the same syrupy consistency. It's a good beer to drink in the winter while watching football. (326 characters)

Smell: A very rich malty aroma, lots of toasted biscuit faint chicory and mild charred husk. No fruitiness or steely crystal malt in the nose

Taste & Mouth Feel: Very smooth and creamy with a laid back crispness that rolls over the full body. Wow, a very sturdy malt character no syrupy sweetness or odd malt flavors. Lots of dry toasted malt flavor with a light burnt husk in the back ground. Hops are modest and balance well, kiss of herbal hop middle to end. More complex malt flavors though the drying finish.

Drinkability & Notes: Surprisingly this is very very drinkable and very clean. Hard to taste the 8% abv and the smoothness feigns the full body a bit. Quite an amazing brew. (935 characters)

2005 bottling, large(liter?) swingtop bottle obtained via trade with Brewfan. Many Thanks! Pours a deep, dark, opaque chestnut body with a perfect head. After several pours of this enormous bottle, the head held an amazing consistency of two inch tall, creamy beige hued, tightly knit foam that wouldn't budge unless I slipped my lips upon it. Sheets of lace were eventually draped down the sides of the imperial pint glass.

Aroma was a bit roasty for style, but featured waves of malty toffee, brown sugar, caramel, and a hint of molasses. Fresh plums and black cherries add a fascinating fruitiness. A hint of floral hops add a rosewater note to the exceptional nose.

Mouthfeel is creamy and full bodied. Moderate carbonation is spot on for the style.

Taste is complex, and utterly sinful. Vienna and Munich malts are put to excellent use on the palate here, as a variey of chocolates mingle with smooth toffee, and a bitter dark roastiness. McIntosh red apples and fresh plums creep into the profile, as well, and add to the bitter cherry and occasional nutty walnut notes. Floral hops add some bittersweet character that pushes the flavor profile far beyond anything I've encountered in a doppelbock. The finish is bitter and roasty. Closer to a porter than a dopplebock as it closes.

Toastier and roastier than its German cousins, but more complex and ultimately a more exciting example. Clean and fresh, all the way through, this is an excellent lager to drink on a winter day. I would suggest sharing this one with a friend, or three. Very highly recommended! (1,579 characters)

Happy to procure a bottle of this classy nectar. Large bottle, with swingtop with a sliver of tape indicating this was bottled in 2004. Pours deepest and richest of dark brown/black, murky. Tan head leaves all kinds of sticky lacing. Chocolate, malty nose. This is a big, deeply flavorfull brew. Notes of Chocolate, smoke, dark malts galore. 8% nowhere to be found in this world class quaffer. Wish I had bought more. Seek out and enjoy. (437 characters)

Pours one fingers worth of creamy light brown, mocha, colored head. Clear deep dark brown body with hints of ruby red in the corners of the glass. Nice cap of head remains for a while, as well as good lacing.

Overall this is an awesome brew. I was apprehensive about having this, after waiting so long to open it and expecting it to be not so good. This was not the case. I was surprised and glad I waited. I'll definitely get more of this to lay down to age.

Drinkability: A really good beer that is complex for the style. Certainly one of the better American versions of this beer that I have had. I could sit back with several of these in an afternoon. (450 characters)

I am so glad that Hooker has made it to PA. Pours with a nice head. Big taste of roasted malts. This is a great beer to sip for a long time. Only a little taste of the 8% ABV due to the malt and a hint of chocolate. This is truly the best of the doppelbock style which is a style that I enjoy. Cheers. (301 characters)

Pours a very dark brown color with a small dark brown head. Nose is sweet, a bit of iron, some light hoppy notes, but the sweetness prevails.

Taste is very grainy on the finish, something I just don't like. There's a oddly dry finish but my lips feel a bit sugary sweet. Mouthfeel is smooth and thick with light carbonation. Overall it's decent but not phenomenal. (405 characters)

An American doppelbock that eschews the toffee-ish restraint of its German progenitors, in favor of a much more robust, roastier, state of complexity. At certain points, this took on properties of a porter; other times it alternated between fruity and chocolatey; and still other times it was an unmistakable, caramelish doppel. Complex to say the least! It poured dark impenetrable brown with a pretty small head that lingered until the very end. The aroma was surprisingly mild, with faint twinges of nuts, caramel, and a slight hint of coffee. The flavor strongly carried over the nutty flavors, balanced with a noticeable herbal hop spiciness. Coffee bitterness became noticeable, balanced by some chocolate, with a heaping dollop of brown sugar and maple syrup. Eventually the fruity flavors revealed themselves as well: dried apricot, peach, sour apple, maybe some cherry. The aftertaste was enormous, and where the beer did most of its flourishing; many of the mentioned complexities were revealed only after the swallow. The rich hop spiciness tempered and balanced the beer, and kept any fruity or caramel sweetnesses firmly in their place. The mouthfeel was full and supple, and deliciously creamy, and for a beer of its darkness and fullness, it drank remarkably easily. I did find, however, that by the end of a pint, I was ready to either stop, or try a different beer. The 1 liter bottle is perfect for splitting, or the swingtop could be re-closed and saved for tomorrow. (1,486 characters)

Deep chestnut colored with red tints where light shimmers through. A light brown foamy head sits atop, having risen up to a thick half inch cap of bubbles of varying sizes. The bubbles slowly pop, one by one, and the head recedes back, but leaves a thin film that rises up at the edges of the glass. Aroma is not strong, but gives off caramel, toffee, and brown sugar, and some sweet berry. Mouthfeel is thick and comfortable, and draws you back for more. Flavor is subtle, with hints of chocolate and framboise, light brown sugar and molasses. There is a faint hint of the alcohol that glides beneath, and stings the back of the throat. Some yeasties in the finish. Sheets of biege lace cling to the insides of the glass. Another tremendous selection from Paul Davis. (768 characters)

Yum..a 500ML swing top bottle, opens with a olfactory smacking pop. An exceptional smell of strong roasted malts. A hearty head forms and lasts. The taste is closing in on perfection, with an amazing sweet malt vanguard and a slight bitter tailing. A wonderful doppelbock which should never be passed on, if the opportunity presents. Enjoy!!! (342 characters)